Founding and Legal Status

Chiiori Trust was founded in 1999 as “The Chiiori Project”. It functioned originally as a Nin-i dantai (Volunteer Society), there not being at that time an established legal framework for small non-profits in Japan.

In the early 2000s the law changed, allowing for the foundation of tax-exempt NPOs (non-profit organizations). In Nov 2005, The Chiiori Project was registered officially as a Japanese Non-Profit Organization based in Tokushima Prefecture.

In November 2007, the name of the NPO changed to Chiiori Trust.

ASJA

Chiiori Trust is affiliated with the American School of Japanese Arts (ASJA), a non-profit based in California. ASJA, which has been active since 1989, is dedicated to preserving and teaching the spiritual values of traditional Japanese culture.

Alex and Bodhi Fishman are directors of ASJA, as are its original founders Mario Uribe and Liz Kenner.

Donations

The upkeep of Chiiori and the live-in volunteers, the expected expenditure for the planned re-thatching in 2009, and outlays for projects in the village such as old house restoration and organic agriculture – these costs far outstrip the ability of Alex Kerr or the other directors’ personal financial ability to keep it all going. We can only grow and continue our activities with the generous help of donors who appreciate and support our activities in Iya.

If interested in donating to Chiiori Trust, please contact us. Donations can be made directly to the Japanese NPO, or via our affiliated non-profit in America, ASJA (the American School of Japanese Arts). In the case of ASJA, donations are tax-deductible in America.